Slide rail assembly for use in rack system and reinforcement member thereof

ABSTRACT

A slide rail assembly includes a slide assembly, a front support, a first rear support, a second rear support, and a reinforcement member. The slide rail assembly includes an outer rail, an inner rail and an intermediate rail. The front support and the first rear support are respectively connected to the front end and the outside of the outer rail. The second rear support is movably connected to the first rear support. The reinforcement member includes a body, two first support parts and at least two second support parts. The body has a slot and a contact portion. The two first support parts embrace the outer rail, and the at least two second support parts embrace the second rear support. The slide rail assembly is installed to the rack. The reinforcement member reinforces the connection between the second rear support and the outer rail.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS,

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/760,230, filed Feb. 6, 2013, currently pending.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a slide rail assembly used in a racksystem and a reinforcement member thereof, and more particularly, to aslide rail assembly, having a reinforcement member, whose supports areadjustable to meet requirements of maximum or minimum and to reinforcethe structural strength thereof.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

U.S. Pat. No. 8,028,965 to CHEN discloses an adjustable bracket for aslide assembly which can be installed to different depths of the racks.The amount of the adjustment of the bracket is made by the relativedisplacement between the cover (30) and the rear support (50). When therear support is completely retracted to the cover, the total length ofthe bracket reaches its minimum length. When the rear support is pulled,relative to the cover, to its extreme position, the total length of thebracket reaches its maximum length. However, when the rear support ispulled to its extreme position, the rear support must be partiallyinserted into the cover so as to maintain the support strength.Accordingly, the length that the rear support inserted in the covercannot be too short. If the total length of the bracket is to beincreased, the length that the rear support is pulled relative to thecover cannot be overly increased so as to maintain a minimum supportstrength. Consequently, to increase the total length of the bracket,only the two respective lengths of the cover or the rear support can beincreased. However, once the length of one of the cover or the rearsupport is increased, the minimum length of the bracket is increased andcannot meet the original requirement of the minimum length of thesupport.

The present invention intends to provide a slide rail assembly with areinforcement member which is adjustable to meet requirements of maximumor minimum and to reinforce the structural strength thereof.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a slide rail assembly and comprises anouter rail, an inner rail, a front support, a first rear support, asecond rear support and a reinforcement member. The outer rail has alongitudinal length and two side walls are connected two sides of theouter rail. A bridge wall is connected between the two side walls. Alongitudinal path is defined between the two side walls and the bridgewall. The inner rail is slidably connected to the longitudinal path ofthe outer rail. The front support is connected to the front end of theouter rail and secured to the bridge wall. The first rear support isfixed to the bridge wall of the outer rail and has two first supportportions and a first side portion is connected between the two firstsupport portions. A first path is defined between the insides of the twofirst support portions and the first side portion. The second rearsupport is movably located in the first path of the first rear support.The second rear support has two second support portions and a secondside portion is connected between the two second support portions. Thereinforcement member has a body, two first support parts and at leasttwo second support parts. The two first support parts and the at leasttwo second support parts extend from the body and toward oppositedirections. The two first support parts are connected to the outer railand embrace the two side walls. The at least two second support partsare connected to the second rear support and embrace the two secondsupport portions.

Preferably, an engaging hole is defined in the rear end of the bridgewall of the outer rail. The body of the reinforcement member has a slotand a contact portion which extends from the body and is inserted intothe slot. The contact portion has a protrusion which is engaged with theengaging hole of the outer rail.

Preferably, the second side portion of the second rear support has aside hole and an extension plate extends from the second side portionand is inserted into the side hole. The body of the reinforcement memberhas a stop which contacts the extension plate of the second rearsupport.

Preferably, each of the first support parts of the reinforcement membercomprises a first support plate and a first bent section. The firstsupport plate substantially extends perpendicularly from the body of thereinforcement and is located on the rear side of the body. The firstbent section is bent from the first support plate.

Preferably, each of the at least two second support parts of thereinforcement member comprises a second support plate and a second bentsection. The second support plate substantially extends perpendicularlyfrom the body of the reinforcement and is located on the front side ofthe body. The second bent section is bent from the second support plate.

Alternatively, the present invention relates to a slide rail assemblyfor use in a rack system and comprises a slide rail assembly whichcomprises an outer rail having a longitudinal length and two side wallsare connected two sides of the outer rail. A bridge wall is connectedbetween the two side walls. A longitudinal path is defined between thetwo side walls and the bridge wall. An inner rail is slidably connectedto the longitudinal path of the outer rail. An intermediate rail isslidably connected between the inner rail and the outer rail. A frontsupport is connected to the front end of the outer rail. A first rearsupport is fixed to the bridge wall of the outer rail and has two firstsupport portions and a first side portion is connected between the twofirst support portions. A first path is defined between the insides ofthe two first support portions and the first side portion. A second rearsupport is movably located in the first path of the first rear support.The second rear support has two second support portions and a secondside portion is connected between the two second support portions. Areinforcement member has a body, two first support parts and at leasttwo second support parts. The body has a rear side and a front side. Therear side of the body is located corresponding to the bridge wall of theouter rail. The front side of the body is located corresponding to thesecond side portion of the at least two second support parts. The bodyof the reinforcement member has a slot and a contact portion extendsfrom the body and is inserted into the slot. The first support partsembrace the two side walls of the outer rail. The two first supportparts extend from the outer rail and are located on the rear side of thebody. The at least two second support parts movably embrace the twosecond support portions of the second rear support. The at least twosecond support parts extend from the body of the reinforcement memberand are located on the front side of the body. The slide rail assemblyis secured to the rack by connecting the front support to the front postof the rack and connecting the second rear support to the rear post ofthe rack. The reinforcement member is freely adjustable. The contactportion contacts the bridge wall of the outer rail to position thereinforcement member.

One aspect of the present invention is to provide a slide rail assemblywherein the length of the slide rail relative to the depth of the rackcan be adjusted so that the slide rail assembly is installed to the rackand has reinforced connection.

The present invention will become more obvious from the followingdescription when taken in connection with the accompanying drawingswhich show, for purposes of illustration only, a preferred embodiment inaccordance with the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded view to show the slide rail assembly of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 shows another angle of view of the reinforcement member of theslide rail assembly of the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows that the reinforcement member is mounted to the outer rail;

FIG. 4 shows that the slide rail assembly is installed to a rack and thereinforcement member is connected to the rear end of the outer rail;

FIG. 5 shows that the slide rail assembly is installed to a rack and thereinforcement member is adjusted to move a distance, and

FIG. 6 shows that the slide rail assembly is installed to a rack and thereinforcement member is in contact with the first rear support.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 1, the slide rail assembly of the present inventioncomprises an outer rail 10, an inner rail 12, a front support 14, afirst rear support 16 a, a second rear support 16 b and a reinforcementmember 18.

The outer rail 10 has a longitudinal length and two side walls 20 areconnected two sides of the outer rail 10. A bridge wall 22 is connectedbetween the two side walls 20. A longitudinal path 24 is defined betweenthe two side walls 20 and the bridge wall 22. Preferably, an engaginghole 26 is defined through the rear end of bridge wall 22.

The inner rail 12 is slidably connected to the longitudinal path 24 ofthe outer rail 10. Preferably, an intermediate rail 28 is slidablyconnected between the inner rail 12 and the outer rail 10, so that theinner rail 12 is able to be extended to a longer distance relative tothe outer rail 10 by the intermediate rail 28.

The front support 14 is connected to the front end of the outer rail 10and secured to the bridge wall 22. The front support 14 can be installedto a front post 72 a (as shown in FIG. 4) on front end of a rack inpractical use.

The first rear support 16 a is installed to the outside of the bridgewall 22 of the outer rail 10 and comprises two first support portions 30and a first side portion 32 which is connected between the two firstsupport portions 30. Preferably, the first rear support 16 a is fixedlyinstalled to the bridge wall 22. A first path 34 is defined between theinsides of the two first support portions 30 and the first side portion32.

The second rear support 16 b is movably installed to the first rearsupport 16 a. Preferably, the second rear support 16 b is movablylocated in the first path 34 of the first rear support 16 a. The secondrear support 16 b has two second support portions 36 and a second sideportion 38 which is connected between the two second support portions36. Each of the two second support portions 36 has a first supportsection 40 a and a second support section 40 b. The first supportsection 40 a substantially extends perpendicularly from the second sideportion 38. The second support section 40 b substantially extendsperpendicularly from the first support section 40 a. The second sideportion 38 of the second rear support 16 b has a side hole 42 and anextension plate 44 which extends from the second side portion 38 and isinserted into the side hole 42. Preferably, a central section 46protrudes from the second side portion 38 of the second rear support 16b and extends along the lengthwise direction of the second side portion38 so as to reinforce the strength of the second rear support 16 b. Inpractical use, the second rear support 16 b can be installed to the rearpost 72 b (as show in FIG. 4) on the rear end of the rack.

As shown in FIG. 2, the reinforcement member 18 has a body 48, at leasttwo first support parts 50 and at least two or more than two secondsupport parts 52. Preferably, the at least two first support parts 50and the at least two second support parts 52 extend from the body 48 andtoward opposite directions. Wherein, the body 48 has a rear side 54 anda front side 56. Preferably, the at least two first support parts 50extend from the body 48 and located on the rear side 54 of the body 48,and the at least two second support parts 52 extend from the body 48 andlocated on the front side 56 of the body 48. As shown in FIG. 3, therear side 54 of the body 48 is located corresponding to the bridge wall22 of the outer rail 10, and the front side 56 of the body 48 is locatedcorresponding to the second side portion 38 of the second rear support16 b. The body 48 has a slot 58 and a contact portion 60 which extendsfrom the body 48 and is inserted into the slot 58. Preferably, thecontact portion 60 has a protrusion 62 which is configured to engagewith the engaging hole 26 of the outer rail 10. The body 48 has a stop64 which protrudes beyond the body 48. The stop 64 is locatedcorresponding to the extension plate 44 of the second rear support 16 b.Each of the at least two first support parts 50 comprises a firstsupport plate 66 a and a first bent section 66 b. The first supportplate 66 a substantially extends perpendicularly from the body 48 of thereinforcement 18 and is located on the rear side 54 of the body 48. Thefirst bent section 66 b is bent from the first support plate 66 a. Eachof the at least two second support parts 52 of the reinforcement member18 comprises a second support plate 68 a and a second bent section 68 b.The second support plate 68 a substantially extends perpendicularly fromthe body 48 of the reinforcement 18 and is located on the front side 56of the body 48. The second bent section 68 b is bent from the secondsupport plate 68 a.

In practical use, as shown in FIG. 3, the reinforcement member 18 ismounted to the outer rail 10 by the at least two first support parts 50.When the protrusion 62 is moved to the engaging hole 26 of the outerrail 10, the reinforcement member 18 is engagedly positioned on theouter rail 10. Furthermore, the second rear support 16 b is connected tothe outer rail 10 by the at least two second support parts 52. As shownin FIG. 4, when the protrusion 62 of the contact portion 60 of thereinforcement member 18 is engaged with the engaging hole 26 of theouter rail 10 and positioned at the rear end of the outer rail 10, andwhen the second rear support 16 b is extended to its extreme positionrelative to the first rear support 16 a, the extension plate 44 of thesecond rear support 16 b contacts the stop 64 of the reinforcementmember 18 so as to stop the second rear support 16 b. The at least twofirst support parts 50 is mounted to the outer rail 10, and the at leasttwo second support parts 52 is mounted to the second support 16 b.Preferably, the at least two first support parts 50 embrace the sidewalls 20 of the outer rail 10, and the at least two second support parts52 movably embrace the two second support portions 36 of the second rearsupport 16 b.

As shown in FIG. 4, the front support 14 and the second rear support 16b are respectively connected to the front post 72 a and the rear post 72b of the rack 70. The length of the second rear support 16 b relative tothe first rear support 16 a can be adjusted according the installationneed so as to install the slide rail assembly to the front post 72 a andthe rear post 72 b of the rack 70 by the use of the front support 14,the first rear support 16 a and the second rear support 16 b. Wherein,at a maximum extended position, the second rear support 16 b is extendedto its maximum distance relative to the first rear support 16 a, thelongitudinal length of the overlapped portions between the second rearsupport 16 b and the first rear support 16 a is reduced to the minimum,so that the support strength supported from the first rear support 16 ato the second rear support 16 b is reduced. Consequently, the supportstrength between the outer rail 10 and the second rear support 16 b isreduced. The present invention uses the reinforcement member 18 to bemounted to the outer rail 10 and the second rear support 16 b toreinforce the connection between the outer rail 10 and the second rearsupport 16 b. Therefore, the slide rail assembly has sufficient supportstrength at the maximum extended position.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the second rear support 16 b is retracted to adistance relative to the first rear support 16 a, the extension plate 44of the second rear support 16 b is away from the stop 64 of the body 48of the reinforcement member 18. The reinforcement member 18 is freelyadjusted to remove the protrusion 62 from the engaging hole 26. By thecontact between the contact portion 60 (such as the protrusion 62 on thecontact portion 60) of the reinforcement member 18 and the bridge wall22 of the outer rail 10, the reinforcement member 18 can be positioned.Preferably, the reinforcement member 18 is tight positioned by thecontact between the contact portion 60 and the bridge wall 22.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the second rear support 16 b is completelyretracted relative to the first rear support 16 a, the reinforcementmember 18 is pushed by the second rear support 16 b to contact the firstrear support 16 a. Under the status, the total length of the slide railassembly, involving the reinforcement member 18, can be retracted to theminimum.

Furthermore, the reinforcement member 18 can be detached from the secondrear support 16 b and the outer rail 10, so that in the embodimentwithout the reinforcement member 18, the second rear support 16 b can bedirectly retracted to the first rear support 16 a to shorten the totallength of the slide rail assembly. Consequently, the slide rail assemblycan be installed to a rack with shorter depth. The embodiment is notshown in the drawings because this embodiment has been disclosed in theprior arts.

The present invention can be installed to different racks of differentlongitudinal depths, and the slide rail assembly has a strong andsufficient support strength by the reinforcement member 18.

While we have shown and described the embodiment in accordance with thepresent invention, it should be clear to those skilled in the art thatfurther embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of thepresent invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A reinforcement member for use in a slide railassembly, comprising: a body having a rear side and a front side; atleast two first support parts extending from the body and located on therear side of the body; and at least two second support parts extendingfrom the body and located on the front side of the body.
 2. Thereinforcement member as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a contactportion extending from the body and inserted into a slot formed on thebody.
 3. The reinforcement member as claimed in claim 1, furthercomprising a stop protruding from the body.
 4. The reinforcement memberas claimed in claim 2, further comprising a stop protruding from thebody.
 5. A slide rail assembly for use in a rack, the slide railassembly comprising: an outer rail; an inner rail slidably connected tothe outer rail; a front support to be installed to a front post of therack, the front support connected to the outer rail; a rear support tobe installed to a rear post of the rack; and a reinforcement membermovably connected between the outer rail and the rear support, thereinforcement member having at least two first support parts and atleast two second support parts extending opposite the at least two firstsupport parts, wherein the at least two first support parts are coupledto the outer rail, and the at least two second support parts are coupledto the rear support.
 6. The slide rail assembly as claimed in claim 5,further comprising another rear support fixedly connected to the outerrail and formed with a longitudinal path, wherein the two rear supportsare coupled together via the longitudinal path and are slidable relativeto each other.
 7. The slide rail assembly as claimed in claim 5, whereinthe outer rail is formed with an engaging hole, and the reinforcementmember includes a protrusion having a contour corresponding to theengaging hole so as to be held in position when the protrusion isreceived in the engaging hole.
 8. The slide rail assembly as claimed inclaim 5, wherein the rear support includes an extension plate, and thereinforcement member includes a stop to be pressed against the extensionplate to retain the rear support at an extended position.
 9. The sliderail assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein the rear support has alongitudinally extending side portion on which a raised central sectionis formed, and wherein the central section extends in a lengthwisedirection of the side portion.
 10. A reinforcement member for use in aslide rail assembly, the reinforcement member comprising: a body; atleast one pair of first support parts extending from the body; and atleast one pair of second support parts extending from the body in adirection opposite the at least one pair of first support parts, whereinthe at least one pair of first support parts and the at least one pairof second support parts are coupled to an outer rail of the slide railassembly and a rear support of the slide rail assembly, respectively, ina movable manner such that the reinforcement member is connected betweenand movable along the outer rail and the rear support of the slide railassembly to reinforce structural strength of the slide rail assembly.11. The reinforcement member as claimed in claim 10, further comprisinga contact portion extending from the body and inserted into a slotformed on the body.
 12. The reinforcement member as claimed in claim 10,further comprising a stop protruding from the body.
 13. Thereinforcement member as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a stopprotruding from the body.